Centering The Steering Box
Go get a plastic degree wheel & disconnect the drag link .
Tape the degree wheel to the steering wheel & turn it as far as it'll go in one direction , being *very* careful when it stops ,zero the degree wheel and turn the steering wheel as far as it'll go in the other direction , being sure to carefully count the total number of degrees from one extreme lock to the other , write that down and divide it by two ~ now zero the degree wheel again and turn the steering wheel 1/2 the # of total dregees & STOP ~ (don't sweat the steering wheel orientation) , center the degree wheel to zero and tru turong it from this point , to each left and right extreme , if the # of degrees is equal in either direction , the box is now well & truly centered .
Remove and adjust the steering wheel as necessary , then re - connect the drag link .
That's all there is to it and , you'll discover that most of these trucks were assembled a degree ot ten off when new so now the steering geometry will be spot on and make your old truck (car , whatever , this works for everything) drive noticeably better .
Remember : now , after you've centered the steering box , is the time to set the toe - in to 0° or 1/8" .
If , after setting the toe , the steering wheel isn't perfectly centered , loosen the tie rod clamps and roll them equal amounts to adjust the steering wheel ~ DO NOT change it's position on the steering box shaft ! .
Then , finally , you can go back and fiddle with and adjust , the steering stops .
It is critical to do this all in the correct order or you'll chase your tail forever .
This can be printed out and taken out to the rig as a ' cheat sheet ' ~ it may sound complex reading it here but it's not , just do each step in order and you'll be happy with the end result .
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